Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Complement C9”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,045 records · Page 58Linked to original sources

Recombinant soluble CD59 inhibits reactive haemolysis with complement.

Three soluble forms of membrane attack complex inhibitory factor (MACIF or CD59) were prepared using recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells. They consisted of 70, 77 and 86 amino acids, starting from the amino terminus of naturally occurring CD59, and were designated recombinant (r) CD59 70, 77 and 86, respectively. All three rCD59 lacked a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor, unlike membrane CD59 which has a GPI anchor at the anchor at the carboxyl terminus (77th amino acid). Their activities in inhibiting complement activation were assayed with C5b-7 intermediate cells and C8 and C9 components. The inhibitory activity of rCD59 70 was as high as that of rCD59 77 and twice that of rCD59 86. In addition, it was one-fourth and one-hundredth lower than the activities of urine and erythrocyte CD59, respectively. However, when assayed in the presence of human serum at a final concentration of 50% (v/v), the activities of both urine and erythrocyte CD59 were greatly decreased to to one-tenth of that of rCD59 70. Purified rCD59 70 molecules were all glycosylated, but rCD59 77 and 86 were mixtures of glycosylated and non-glycosylated molecules. The inhibitory activities of rCD59 77 and 86 were the same for the glycosylated and non-glycosylated forms. These results suggest that the soluble rCD59 provide a means for elucidating the biological roles of CD59.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Monoclonal autoantibodies to acetylcholine receptors: evidence for a dominant idiotype and requirement of complement for pathogenicity.

An antigenic determinant of mammalian muscle acetylcholine receptors (AChR) remote from the ACh-binding site and exposed extracellularly at the neuromuscular junction has been defined by monoclonal autoantibodies (McAb's). The determinant is a dominant antigen in the rat's autoimmune response to AChR. It was defined by four IgG McAb's (from two individual donor rats) which shared a common idiotype (Id) complementary to the AChR determinant. These four McAb's bound to AChR in vivo and induced experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). They also bound to nonjunctional AChR on living myotubes in culture at 37 degrees and caused loss of alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BT) binding sites. The McAb's did not inhibit binding of alpha-BT to solubilized AChR or to nonjunctional AChR in membranes of muscle cells held at 4 degrees C. Impairment of neuromuscular transmission by the McAb's required activation of complement via the classical pathway. In the absence of C3 leads to C9, or in isolated deficiency of C4, binding of McAb's to at least 62% of AChR for 72 hours in vivo did not alter miniature endplate potentials (MEPPs) or EPPs or reduce the muscle's content of AChR. The common Id was detectable in sera of rats immunized with AChR of either Torpedo, eel or syngeneic muscle. Anti-Id antibodies raised against 3 of the McAb's inhibited in vitro binding of each of the 4 McAb's to AChR; absorption of one anti-Id by a second McAb removed inhibitory activity for all McAb's. However, when rats with high titers of anti-Id were challenged by immunization with torpedo AChR, the severity of EAMG was undiminished despite a continuing excess of anti-Id antibodies. Success of the anti-Id approach to therapy of myasthenia gravis may require definition of several antigenic determinants of human muscle AChR with which patients' auto-antibodies interact in vivo.

Action Potentials↗

Interaction of anti-leprosy drugs with the rat serum complement system.

Dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin, the three most important constituents of multidrug therapy against leprosy, were studied with respect to their effects on the rat serum complement system, in vitro as well as in vivo. Of the three drugs only dapsone and clofazimine exhibited significant in vitro anti-complement activity and only at a very high, non-therapeutic dose of 0.24 mg/ml. On the contrary, rifampicin could not induce significant in vitro complement consumption. Furthermore, dapsone and clofazimine could reduce rat-serum-mediated rabbit erythrocyte haemolysis in the presence of Mg2+-EGTA, indicating that they could also affect the alternative pathway of complement activation. However, the latter pathway of complement consumption by these drugs seems to be insignificant because the factor-B-mediated complement-consumption system is minimal in rat sera. Immunoelectrophoretic study of mixtures of fresh rat sera and anti-leprosy drugs against specific anti-rat-C3 antisera demonstrated that dapsone and clofazimine could not cleave the C3 complement component. In a separate experiment we attempted to reconstitute the haemolytic complement activity consumed by dapsone and clofazimine by adding Crat-EDTA sera (a source of C3, C5, C6, C7, C8 and C9), but at most only 12% reconstitution of haemolytic activity could be achieved. We thus conclude that both dapsone and clofazimine could affect the complement system, predominantly through the earlier complement components and at very high, non-therapeutic doses. On the contrary, in-vivo experiments in rats showed that a combination of these three drugs, when given at a therapeutic dose or at 10 times the therapeutic dose for three months, did not affect the complement system.

Animals↗

Molecular basis of complement activation in ischemic myocardium: identification of specific molecules of mitochondrial origin that bind human C1q and fix complement.

Mitochondria may be a source of molecules that activate complement during ischemic injury to myocardium, providing therewith a stimulus for infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. To identify specific molecules that activate the classical complement pathway, detergent lysates of canine cardiac mitochondria were fractionated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred electrophoretically to nitrocellulose paper (NCP). The NCP replicas of the gels were incubated with isolated C1q and fresh sera as a source of complement, washed briefly, and overlaid with sensitized sheep erythrocytes (RBC) in agarose. A cluster of four to six molecules between 45 and 53 kDa as well as four others, 34, 30, 26, and 23 kDa, consumed complement thereby preventing complement-mediated lysis of sensitized sheep RBC in the agarose overlay. Additional molecules reactive with C1 were identified by their ability to bind isolated human C1q and to serve as assembly sites for later acting complement components. Sites of localization of complement were demonstrated by incubating NCP replicas of fractionated mitochondria with antisera specific for C1q, C3, C5, and C9, followed by peroxidase-conjugated anti-immunoglobulin and substrate. A total of 12 C1q binding molecules ranging in size from 67 kDa to 23 kDa, which can fix later acting complement components, were identified. At least two of these reacted with antisera prepared against canine cardiac lymph collected in the first 3-4 hours after a 45-minute coronary artery occlusion. These studies present direct evidence that specific molecules, released from subcellular fractions of myocardial cells rich in mitochondria, can activate the complement cascade.

Animals↗

A novel assay for serum complement activity: C42 generation assay.

BACKGROUND: In most clinics, laboratory tests for serum complement are limited to immunochemical determinations of C3 and C4 and are occasionally extended to the hemolytic titration of total complement functional activity (CH50). However, these tests are often not sufficient for the analysis of low CH50 serum. METHODS: A novel assay for serum complement activity, the C42 generation assay, has been developed. The principle of this assay is based on the hemolysis of sensitized sheep erythrocytes (EA) by complement components in two sera: C42 (the classical pathway C3 convertase) is generated on EA by C1, C4 and C2 in the first serum, followed by a second reaction leading to hemolysis by C3-C9 supplied by the addition of the second serum in the presence of EDTA. RESULTS: This methodology permits the evaluation of two distinct serum complement activities of a test serum. The combined activity of C1, C4 and C2, as well as the combined activity of C3-C9, can be estimated from the observed degrees of hemolysis. Information obtained from this assay is helpful for the analysis of test serum determined to have decreased CH50. Several clinical cases are presented in which this assay was utilized. CONCLUSIONS: The C42 generation assay is another functional assay of serum complement which can provide information beyond that obtained from the typical serum CH50 assay. Since intermediate cells or isolated complement components are not necessary, this assay can be employed rapidly and economically in a clinical setting.

Animals↗

The influence of electrochemical gradients of Na+ and K+ upon the membrane binding and pore forming activity of the terminal complement proteins.

The hemolytic activity of the terminal complement proteins (C5b-9) towards erythrocytes containing high potassium concentration has been reported to be dramatically increased when extracellular Na+ is substituted isotonically by K+ (Dalmasso, A.P., et al., 1975, J. Immunol. 115:63-68). This phenomenon was now further investigated using resealed human erythrocyte ghosts (ghosts), which can be maintained at a nonlytic osmotic steady state subsequent to C5b-9 binding: (1) The functional state of C5b-9-treated ghosts was studied from their ability to retain trapped [14C]-sucrose or [3H]-inulin when suspended either in the presence of Na+ or K+. A dramatic increase in the permeability of the ghost membrane to both nonelectrolytes - in the absence of significant hemoglobin release - was observed for C5b-9 assembly in the presence of external K+. (2) The physical binding of the individual 125I-labeled terminal complement proteins to ghost membranes was directly measured as a function of intra- and extracellular K+ and Na+. The uptake of 125I-C7, 125I-C8, and 125I-C9 into membrane C5b-9 was unaltered by substitution of Na+ by K+. (3) The binding of the terminal complement proteins to ghosts subjected to a transient membrane potential generated by the K+-ionophore valinomycin (in the presence of K+ concentration gradients) was measured. No significant change in membrane binding of any of the C5b-9 proteins was detected under the influence of both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing membrane potentials.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cell Membrane Permeability↗

Human decay-accelerating factor expressed on rat hearts inhibits leukocyte adhesion.

In xenotransplantation the use of donors transgenic for recipient-type complement regulatory protein decay-accelerating factor (DAF/CD55) or membrane co-factor protein (MCP/CD46) protects grafts against hyperacute rejection (HAR), which is primarily mediated by xenoreactive natural antibodies and complement. In the Langendorff model, we previously demonstrated that rat hearts transgenic for human CD55 (hCD55), perfused with human serum, were protected against HAR. However, ex vivo, these hearts were found to be destroyed by a process occurring after the period of HAR. The question arose as to whether hearts transgenic for hCD55 are also protected against adhesion and infiltration by cells implicated in the early phases of xenograft rejection. The aim of the present study was to analyze this process in the ex vivo heart perfusion model. hCD55-transgenic rat hearts and their controls were perfused with either heat-inactivated or normal human blood solutions for 60 min. Although most of the hearts had stopped beating within the 60-min perfusion period, the perfusion was not stopped to enable adhesion of cells during a fixed period identical for all groups. Independent of the presence of complement, H&E-stained tissues of hCD55-transgenic hearts revealed fewer PMN leukocytes adhering to the endothelium than the controls (mean: 31% vs 60%). Standard histology and immunohistochemistry showed that hCD55-transgenic hearts exhibited less interstitial edema, hemorrhage, microthrombosis, fibrin deposition, and leukocyte infiltration than did the controls. All hearts showed mild to moderate levels of P-selectin and similar levels of ICAM-1, C3c, C9, IgA, IgG, and IgM deposition. hCD55 expressed on rat hearts not only inhibits complement activation, but also human leukocyte adhesion and apparently functions as an anti-adhesion molecule. hCD55 is an efficient factor in protecting grafts against HAR and protects the graft against adhesion of leukocytes as well.

Animals↗

Elimination of terminal complement complexes in the plasma membrane of nucleated cells: influence of extracellular Ca2+ and association with cellular Ca2+.

Nucleated cells, unlike erythrocytes, are able to survive limited complement attack by eliminating potentially cytolytic complement channels from the plasma membrane (PM) by processes that involve, plasma membrane (PM) by processes that involve, but may not be limited to, endocytosis. The observation that C5b-9 channels, as well as C5b-8 and C5b-7 intermediates, are rapidly eliminated from the cell surface of nucleated cells has prompted us to examine whether terminal complement complexes stimulate membrane events that lead to accelerated elimination of these complexes. We have suggested previously that ion flux through terminal complement complexes might influence the rate of elimination on the basis of our finding that terminal complement complexes with larger functional channel sizes are more rapidly eliminated. In this study, we examined the role of Ca2+ on the elimination rate of terminal complement complexes in the PM of Ehrlich cells, because changes in Ca2+ flux across the PM are known to influence many metabolic activities including endocytosis. To determine the elimination rate for terminal complement complexes by functional analysis, cells bearing C5b-7 or C5b-8 complexes with or without a sublytic dose of C9 were incubated at 37 degrees C for various time intervals before converting the remaining complexes to lytic C5b-9 channels. The initial elimination rates for the terminal complement complexes were compared in the presence of 0.015, 0.15, and 1.5 mM CaCl2 in the medium. Sufficient lowering of the extracellular Ca2+ concentration, (Ca2+)o, resulted in prolonging the elimination of each of the terminal complement complexes to a different extent. The effect of (Ca2+)o on the elimination rate was most pronounced for C5b-8 in the presence of a sublytic number of C5b-9, with less of an effect on C5b-8 alone, and the least effect with C5b-7. The elimination rates for terminal complement complexes were also determined by measuring the persistence of C5b antigen on the cell surface at 37 degrees C in the presence of various (Ca2+)o by using fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis and were comparable with that obtained by functional analysis. Examination of the effect of terminal complement complexes on the cellular Ca2+ concentration, (Ca2+)i, revealed that these complexes increased the (Ca2+)i in proportion with the known functional pore size of the terminal complement complex in the PM. In addition, Quin 2, which can buffer internal Ca2+ transients, was found to increase the susceptibility of Ehrlich cells to lysis by C5b-9, further suggesting a relationship between the (Ca2+)i and the elimination process.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aminoquinolines↗

Resistance of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae to bactericidal antibody and complement is mediated by capsular polysaccharide and blocking antibody specific for lipopolysaccharide.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is resistant to complement-mediated killing, even in the presence of specific Ab. Our studies focused on identifying the mechanism(s) responsible for this resistance. Encapsulated A. pleuropneumoniae was susceptible to killing in precolostral calf serum (PCS) but not in normal serum as a complement source in the presence of anti-capsular polysaccharide (CP) IgG. In contrast, two capsule-deficient mutants were sensitive to killing in normal serum and one was sensitive to killing in PCS alone. Electron microscopy demonstrated that A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 5a synthesized a thick, adherent CP that bound anti-CP Ab distant from the outer membrane. The CP of A. pleuropneumoniae did not prevent complement activation or the attachment of C3 to the cell surface. However, the CP did limit the amount of C9, a component of the membrane attack complex, that bound to A. pleuropneumoniae in PCS. A second mechanism of serum resistance was a result of an LPS-specific Ab present in the IgG fractions of normal swine serum, swine anti-K17 serum, and guinea pig anti-K17 LPS that blocked anti-CP IgG complement-mediated killing of A. pleuropneumoniae. Incubation of swine anti-K17 IgG with purified K17 LPS depleted Abs specific for K17 LPS but not for K17 proteins and removed all blocking activity. Immune swine serum containing this blocking Ab reduced the deposition of C9 on A. pleuropneumoniae in the presence of anti-CP IgG and also directed the deposition of C9 to sites on the bacteria in which the bound C9 was easily eluted. Thus, CP and anti-LPS Ab may act synergistically or at different stages of infection to limit the ability of complement to eliminate A. pleuropneumoniae.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae↗

The complement profile in relation to the "reactor" state: a study in the immediate post-partum period.

C56 (activated "reactor") could be generated by adding zymosan to only nineteen out of the fifty serum samples obtained from southern Chinese women 3 to 5 days after a normal spontaneous delivery. As a group, post-partum sera showed a 25% increase in total haemolytic complement, an almost two-fold increase in haemolytic C5, C4 and C8 plus C9 activity, a 50% increase in antigenic C3 and haemolytic C2, C1 and factor B activity, a less than 20% increase in haemolytic C6 and C7 activity, and a 20% decrease in factor D and C1 inhibitor activity. Consequently, their C5:C7 ratios were significantly elevated. This finding supports, in part, the theory that the "reactor" state or ability to generate C56 depends on a relative excess of C56 over C7. However, comparison of the complement profile between sera with and those without "reactor" activity did not reveal any difference, except a greater elevation of C5 in the latter. It appears possible that a grossly excessive level of C5 may, in fact, be unfavourable to the generation of C56.

Complement C5↗

Deposition of the membrane attack complex of complement in pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus skin.

The present study was performed to determine whether complement activation in pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) results in the assembly of the terminal complement sequence or membrane attack complex (MAC) in skin lesions. Biopsy specimens of skin lesions from five patients with PV and three patients with PF contained C5, C7, C9, and the MAC related neoantigen (C5b-9 neoantigen) in intercellular substance areas (ICS), as well as IgG and the early complement components Clq, C4, and C3. The presence of these late complement components and the C5b-9 neoantigens in ICS sites of the skin lesions is indicative of complement activation by the pemphigus antibody, with subsequent assembly of the MAC. The binding of IgG and early complement components to ICS was observed in both non-lesional (normal appearing) skin and in skin lesions. However, no MAC could be detected in the normal appearing skin of our pemphigus patients. It was also noted that the MAC could be generated in vitro on cryostat sectioned normal human skin by pemphigus antibody in the presence of complement. Results of these studies suggest that complement activation may be related to membrane damage of epidermal cells in both PV and PF.

Complement Membrane Attack Complex↗

Homologous species restriction of the complement-mediated killing of nucleated cells.

The homologous restriction of complement (C) lysis is attributed to membrane proteins: decay-accelerating factor (DAF), C8 binding protein (C8bp) and P18/CD59. Since these proteins are also expressed on peripheral blood cells, species restriction was tested for in the complement-mediated killing of antibody-coated human leucocytes by human or rabbit complement. Killing was more efficient when rabbit complement was used. Preincubation of cells with an antibody to DAF abolished the difference. When C1-7 sites were first attached to the cells and either rabbit or human C8, C9 were added, the killing of monocytes and lymphocytes was equally efficient; only in polymorphonuclear neutrophils was a higher efficiency of rabbit C8, C9 seen. Thus, in contrast to haemolysis, restriction occurred predominantly at the C3 level and the action of the terminal complement components was not inhibited. Since C8bp isolated from peripheral blood cells showed essentially similar characteristics as the erythrocyte-derived C8bp, the failure of C8bp to inhibit the action of the terminal components on nucleated cells might reflect differences of the complement membrane interactions between erythrocytes or nucleated cells, respectively.

Animals↗

Mediator-induced activation of xanthine oxidase in endothelial cells.

Rat pulmonary artery endothelial cells incubated with human serum that has been complement-activated by addition of cobra venom factor reveal a pronounced conversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase. This process requires the availability of the fifth component of complement (C5) but not the presence of other components (C2 and C6-C9). The phenomenon can be reproduced by addition to endothelial cells of purified human recombinant C5a but not C5a desArg or C3a. The enzyme conversion process is relatively rapid (occurring within 5-10 min), requires the presence of intact endothelial cells, and does not require protein synthesis. Similar effects on endothelial cells have been obtained with human recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha and the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe. In contrast, bradykinin, recombinant human interleukin 1 beta, and phorbol ester lack this biological activity. These findings suggest novel effects of inflammatory mediators on endothelial cells.

Animals↗

[Role of complement in experimental glomerulonephritis].

The complement system is composed by 26 plasmatic proteins. The activation of either the classical or alternative complement pathway leads to the formation of the membrane attack complex C5b-C9 (MAC) which is capable of producing damage of the cellular membrane. MAC has been identified in renal biopsies from human and experimental, immune and nonimmune renal diseases, but it has not been possible to demonstrate any enzymatic activity on the glomerular basement membrane components (GBM). MAC can produce a lytic or a nonlytic effect on renal cells depending upon the dose used. The lytic effect in vitro has been demonstrated in epithelial, mesangial and endothelial cells, whereas the lytic effect in vivo has been described in a model of acute glomerulonephritis produced by the administration of monoclonal antibody anti-Thy 1.1. which reacts with mesangial cells. The nonlytic effect of MAC on renal cells is characterized by alterations in cell metabolism which can lead the production of prostaglandins, type IV collagen, reactive oxygen species, and a growth factor resembling interleukin I which can contribute to glomerular damage, to the modification of the filtration barrier permeability and hemodynamic changes in experimental glomerulonephritis. The effector mechanisms by which the complement system participates in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis are different in the various experimental models of nephritis. In nephrotoxic nephritis the complement pathway participates at least in 3 different ways: a) complement-neutrophil mediated injury, b) MAC dependent mechanism and c) producing hemodynamic alterations. In acute serum sickness the complement system beyond C2 is not necessary for the development of proteinuria and glomerular inflammation, but the MAC assembly seems to be important for the formation of large deposits. In the chronic serum sickness model, the complement system participates in the early proteinuria as well as in the histological expression of the disease. In the heterologous phase of Heymann's nephritis, the proteinuria is complement dependent whereas in the autologous phase the damage depends upon cellular mediated immunity. In passive Heymann's nephritis the complement system and particularly MAC, has a central role for the histological lesion of the epithelial cell as well as in the proteinuria. In conclusion, the complement system can mediate renal damage by the following mechanism: a) Releasing chemotactic factors which result in neutrophil recruitment and neutrophil mediated glomerular damage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗

Phenotypic genetics of complement components.

Both charge and size-dependent electrophoretic techniques have been used to investigate genetic polymorphisms of complement proteins. Of the seventeen complement proteins, ten have been shown to have genetic variants and only one (C9) has been extensively investigated without revealing variants. These investigations give information on the numbers of cistrons and their linkage relations. They demonstrate or confirm the linkage of C2, Factor B and C4 to the MHC. In the cases of both human and mouse C4, it has been shown that the loci are (usually) duplicated. C4 in humans is extremely polymorphic and exhibits a number of strong allelically associated haplotypes. Some of these have only one expressed C4 gene and are associated with disease susceptibility. C8 has at least two cistrons coding for associating subunits. C6 and C7 are linked in several species and sometimes C7 is duplicated. This gene pair is discussed in relation to natural selection and gene conversion.

Animals↗

Molecular and cellular characterization of the membrane attack complex, C5b-9, in Alzheimer's disease.

The membrane attack complex, C5b-9, is of considerable importance in many inflammatory reactions. It is the terminal, cytolytic component of both classical and alternative pathway activation, and its presence presupposes other potentially destructive complement constituents, including anaphylotoxins and opsonins. We have characterized C5b-9 and its C9 constituent in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) and nondemented elderly (ND) brain using immunohistochemistry at the light and electron microscopic levels, Western blot analysis, and the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We have also conducted in vitro ELISA assays of amyloid beta-peptide-stimulated SC5b-9 production. C5b-9 is abundantly present in Alzheimer's disease cortex, associated with neurofibrillary tangle containing neurons, dystrophic neurites within neuritic plaques, and neuropil threads, but is weakly detected, if at all, in nondemented elderly cortex under the same conditions. Staining of Alzheimer's disease sections is abolished both by deletion of primary antibody or preabsorption with purified SC5b-9.

Alzheimer Disease↗

Effects of penicillinase on bactericidal and complement activities in normal human serum.

During routine addition of penicillinase (beta-lactamase) to patients sera, we found that the capacity of some of these sera to kill serum-sensitive gram-negative organisms was significantly decreased. Further controlled studies showed that penicillinase decreased both the bactericidal activity of normal human sera and the total hemolytic activity (CH50) of complement in these sera. The decreased bactericidal activity correlated significantly (r = 0.57, P less than 0.05) with the reduction of CH50 in eight normal sera. These effects of penicillinase were time and temperature dependent. Measurement of individual complement component activities showed that penicillinase decreased the activity of C2, C4, and C3-C9, suggesting that the penicillinase preparation activated the classical pathway. These results cast doubts on the validity of bactericidal determinations when sera are pretreated with penicillinase.

Bacteria↗